Question: Regarding contacting Social Security (808ne.ws/kline41), the phone lines are still slow and sometimes ring and ring and then cut out. When are they going to fix this? Online is not an option. We should be able to walk in by now.
Answer: In-person customer service without an appointment will resume Thursday at local Social Security offices, the federal agency announced Monday. COVID-19 safety protocols will prevail. The agency expects offices to be very busy and urges people who can manage transactions online to do so, at ssa.gov.
If you must walk in Thursday or later, here are reminders, from the Social Security Administration:
>> You must pass a health screening (self-assessment checklist), wear a face mask and maintain physical distancing.
>> You might have to wait outside.
>> You should come alone, unless you require assistance; in that case, only one adult will be permitted to join you. Children are allowed.
In general, the busiest times for in-person service are Mondays, the morning after a federal holiday and the first week of the month.
Early in the pandemic, Social Security offices closed altogether for in-person customer service, and when they reopened it was by appointment for limited, urgent tasks. Most customers were directed to phone or online service instead. However, complaints have been building across the country as upgrades to SSA’s telephone systems faltered, resulting in long wait times, dropped calls and other problems.
Kilolo Kijakazi, the Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner, apologized Monday for problems occurring as the agency modernizes its telephone systems, and said the agency is working with telephone system providers to fix the problems. In the meantime, she said:
>> Don’t call back right away if you are disconnected; that can compound the problem.
>> If you are calling the national toll-free number, wait times are typically shorter Wednesdays through Fridays and later in the month.
>> If you have an appointment scheduled for service over the phone, the representative might run behind schedule. Please wait for the representative to call you.
Q: Will the floating lantern ceremony take place at Ala Moana Beach this year?
A: No. “In support of our community’s collective efforts to emerge as safely as possible from the COVID-19 pandemic, Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i will not be held at Ala Moana Beach on Memorial Day, May 30,” according to the event website, lanternfloatinghawaii.com, which explains several alternative activities that are planned.
Q: Regarding documents needed for a driver’s license, do you have to order those online?
A: No, not if they are Hawaii records, such as birth certificates or marriage certificates recorded in the state. Such vital records can be ordered by eligible people online, at health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords, and many people prefer that process. However, such records also can be requested in person at the Department of Health’s Vital Records Office. On Oahu, preference is given to people who’ve made an appointment, but walk-in service is available as time permits. Read more at the website.
Auwe
Regarding feral chickens, the city contributed to this problem by having a law that essentially allows urban farming, yet when chickens predictably proliferate into nuisances, they tell the property owner to deal with it — even if the property owner had nothing to do with bringing chickens into a residential neighborhood. Therefore, the city should have an eradication program for roaming chickens. — Suburbanite
(Section 7-2.5 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu restricts chickens to no more than two per household, except in areas where more animals are allowed.)
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
